M37 — Flutterwheel / Reverse Flutterwheel
Teaching unit M37 of the CALLERLAB (New) Mainstream Suggested Teaching Order, effective
1 September 2026. Prerequisites: Facing Couples,
Flutterwheel / Reverse Flutterwheel
At a glance
| Starting formation | Facing Couples |
| Ending formation | Facing Couples |
| Timing | 8 beats |
| Unit | M37 of 50 |
Animation
▶ Play this call — pause, step and scrub it: Watching the animations.
Dance action
"The right-side dancers leave their current Partner and Right Arm Turn with each other a full
turn, each ending where they started. Halfway through this motion, they take a Couple handhold
with the other dancer (that is, the one they were originally facing directly), and the second half
of the Arm Turn is completed with each new Couple working as a unit."
"Use the same dance action as for Flutterwheel, except that the left-side dancers Left Arm Turn."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
What you do
Start in facing couples — you facing your partner, with another couple facing you.
- Step out of your couple handhold. In a normal couple one of you is on the dancer's right side and one on the left.
- If you are the right-side dancer, turn to face the other right-side dancer across from you and take a right forearm hold.
- The two of you Arm Turn a full turn, each finishing where you started.
- Halfway round, reach out and take a couple handhold with the dancer you were originally facing directly — that is, your new partner.
- Finish the second half of the arm turn as a couple, moving as one unit.
You finish in facing couples again, but with new partners: everyone has swapped.
For Reverse Flutterwheel, it is exactly the same except that the left-side dancers arm turn by the left.
Timing
8 beats — a full turn at a walking pace. The manual notes that in a Square Thru style the same figure works out at about twelve steps.
Styling
"Each dancer who is on the outside blends smoothly into a new Couple by turning slightly to become
adjacent to the approaching dancer and reaching out to create a Couple handhold. Some dancers
begin moving forward before hand contact is made and then walk slightly ahead of their new Partner
so that the overall motion is smoother."
— CALLERLAB, Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026.
The reach for the new partner starts before the arm turn ends. Waiting until you have stopped makes the call jerky. When the outside dancers are women they may use skirt work with the free hand.
Common faults
| What happens | Why | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You arm turn your own partner | Not stepping out of the couple first | The arm turn is with the dancer on the other couple's same side |
| You never find the new handhold | Waiting until the turn is over | Reach out at the halfway point, not at the end |
| The new couples are not facing each other | Taking the wrong hand or turning the wrong way | Flutterwheel is a right arm turn; the new couple holds hands and faces the other couple |
| Reverse Flutterwheel goes the wrong way | Using the right-side dancers | In the Reverse, the left-side dancers Left Arm Turn |
Where you meet it
Flutterwheel turns up in singing calls as a partner-changing figure, often followed by Sweep a Quarter or by a Promenade — "Reverse Flutterwheel, Promenade Home" is a classic ending. Callers also use "Ladies Lead, Flutterwheel" as a helping phrase. See the course overview for where this unit sits.
Related calls
- Sweep a Quarter — the usual companion call, using the motion you finish with. See M38.
- Arm Turn — the turn at the heart of this call. See M04.
- Ladies Chain — the other partner-changing call from facing couples. See M12.
Also called / formerly
"Reverse the Flutter" is a common short form of Reverse Flutterwheel. In "Ladies Lead, Flutterwheel" the extra words do not change the dance action; they are added to be helpful. From a Static Square, "All Four Ladies Lead, Flutterwheel" has all four Ladies make a Right-Hand Star, go halfway, then take a couple handhold with the Gent there and continue around as new couples.
Manual source: Mainstream Dance Program Definitions, revised 29 March 2026, page 33. Reproduced under the permission in sources and attribution.